With the increasing popularity of traffic telematics and navigation devices, for example in motor vehicles, location functionality is becoming increasingly significant. In this context, greater use is being made of positioning receivers, for example for the NAVSTAR global positioning system (GPS), which allow a three-dimensional position determination by measuring time-of-flight to multiple GPS satellites. What is demanded for the receivers is not only the greatest possible position accuracy and available, but also the shortest possible "time to first fix" (TTFF), i.e. the time elapsing between activation of the receiver and the first calculation and output of a position. TTFF for GPS receivers is usually specified for different start modes, a distinction being made between hot and cold starts. In a cold start, no current system data or operating parameters are available in the receiver, or the data are outdated and may no longer conform to the actual system data or operating parameters. Because this information is lacking, the visible or favorably receivable satellites cannot be identified in the receiver, and the receiver is therefore instructed to test individually the 32 satellites provided in the GPS system specification. In this process, the receiver is initialized with so-called search sets, corresponding to the number of parallel channels available, which allow a more or less orderly search through the satellites. In an eight-channel receiver, it is known to use eight different satellite identifiers per search set, the satellite identifiers (which are listed as PRN numbers) being searched through in sequence. It is thus possible, depending on the position of the receiver, for a long period to elapse before a satellite is found that is available for communication.